So Matt and I decided to buy a turkey breast to use for lunch meat this week.  Since he is home sick (it’s Monday morning), I am just now preparing it to throw in the oven.

When you take the breast out of the packaging, do it over the sink.  Lordy there is a lot of juice in it!  I read that it is not recommended to rinse the meat before cooking.  If the meat has bacteria on it, it can spread to the sink, your hands and to the faucet.  Well… I still rinse my meat!  Place thebreast in your roasting pan or what ever you decide to use.  I am using our Mario Batali dutch oven this time.  Once you have placed the breast into the baking dish of your choice, preheat the oven to 325*.  While the oven is pre-heating, we will prepare the breast!

Ok, so find the sternum of the breast and lift up the skin.  We want to separate the skin from the breast but only on the top of the breast.  Slide your fingers under the skin to break through the membrane.  Once you have completely separated the membrane from the skin we have a pocket to place the seasoning.  YUM!

You want about 3 pinches of thyme, 4 or 5 pinches of rosemary, 3 pinches of sage, 1 bay leaf broken in half, and about 4 or 5 pinches of dried parsley.  Mix them together well in a small dish or cup.  Seriously, make sure you mix them together well.  I had a little problem with our turkey for thanksgiving because I did not mix it well enough!  Ok, are you ready to get your hands dirty?  With one hand hold open the turkey skin, with the other, push the herb mix under the skin.  Rub it in all over under the skin.

Ok, now we want to rub some oil all over that breast!  Pour about 1 Tbs of oil over the top of the turkey breast.  You really only need the oil if you want to brown the breast.  We use olive oil for pretty much everything.  Rub the oil all over the top of the breast.  Now salt and pepper the top of the breast and you are good to go.  Throw the turkey in the oven!

My turkey breast was 7 1/2 lbs.  The package said it should take approximately 2 1/2 to 3 1/4hours.  I set my timer for 2 1/2 hours.  That way I can check the temperature with my meat thermometer and if it is not 170*, it goes back to the oven!  If you check it every so often, it will be hard to over cook it too.

Ok, so now the turkey breast is done.  I could have taken it out sooner but it is still tasty!  The turkey breast came out of the oven at 2 hours and 20 minutes… I could probably have taken it out at 2 hours.  So, slice it up and enjoy!

Pre-heat oven to 325*

• turkey breast
• thyme
• rosemary
• bay leaf
• parsley flakes
• sage
• oil
• salt and pepper

Ok, so tonight I am making stir fry.  I started with the recipe below.  But, I have kind of made it my own.  The chicken was cut into bigger slices. I used crimini mushrooms instead of shiitake.  I used 2 long skinny carrots and cut them thick – well, thick enough that they will still be somewhat crunchy when I am done cooking.  I also used 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper and 1/2 of an orange bell, sliced them width ways so that I had circles of peppers which I then cut each into 4 or quarters.  I did not dice the onion but left the slices somewhat big. I used bamboo shoots instead of water chestnuts (I don’t care for water chestnuts). Last, but not least, instead of rice noodles, I used quinoa.  What is quinoa?  It is a grain…kind of like brown rice.  The first time you see it cooked you think it is from another planet (or at least I did).  It doesn’t have a ton of taste on its own but is very good for you and high in protien.  We choose to eat quinoa instead of rice.

First, I started the quinoa.  It takes around 20 minutes.  Then I put the chicken in to brown for the 4 to 5 minutes then threw in the veggies.  This is when I realize, like every other time that I cook that I made too much!  BTW, I also added sugar snap peas and some zucchini.  Just remember, the more extras you put in to be sure you are also adding more of the flavoring .   I did add some garlic to the sauce.  It just doesn’t seem right to have stir fry and no garlic.  Here is where I would change the recipe a bit.  So, when I put the veggies into the pan with the chicken, I had noticed that there was quite a bit of juice that had come off of it.  I checked the recipe and it didn’t say anything about draining. My opinion? Drain it! I think my stir fry would have turned out more flavorful if I had.

While the chicken was browning I started putting the sauce ingredients into the bowl. WOW did it smell yummy! I have to say that usually when we make stir fry, we have a bottle of Thai stir fry sauce that we get from the farmer’s market. It is good, but nothing is ever as good as making the sauce yourself.

So you put the veggies in with the chicken for another 4-5 minutes.  When you are combining all the ingredients into the sauce, make sure you whisk them well.  I thought I had but there were still a few clumps of corn starch at the bottom of the bowl.  Combine the sauce in with the chicken and veggies and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the stir fry simmer for 4-5 minutes.

I put the quinoa in the bottom of the bowl and put the stir fry on top.

This recipe was really easy!  We added spice to it.  Red pepper flakes work. I added some Thai garlic chili sauce.  Yummy!

Paula Deen’s Chicken Stir Fry

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 package shiitake mushrooms
• 2 to 3 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• Serving suggestion: Hot, cooked rice noodles

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the oils over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, pepper, and onion and cook an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the water chestnuts. In a small bowl, combine broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, ginger, and cornstarch. Add to chicken mixture and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium to medium-low, and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until sauce thickens. Serve over hot, cooked rice noodles.

My name is Angela.  I am a stay-at-home mom.  My son, August and I have  decided to
try the adventure of food blogging.  I am wanting to try new recipes, share old one’s and take a shot at some challenges as well.

My husband, Matt, is a web developer here in Portland. He enjoys cooking and eating good food! In fact, that is one of the ways he won my heart! He makes amazing salmon that was pan fried and simply seasoned with salt and pepper.  I still haven’t forgotten it.  It was cooked perfectly!

The three of us live in Portland, Oregon.  The tree hugger state!  We love our food here.  We love our farmers markets, as well!  Matt and I are becoming increasingly into the organic way of eating every day.  Yes, it can be spendy. But have you read anything by Michael Pollan or Johnathan Safran Foer?  They really make you think about what you are eating.  I have realized when I go shopping at New Seasons, I don’t buy any junk food.  If I go shopping at Fred Meyer, I do.  So, to keep us healthier, I think we will continue doing our shopping at New Seasons.

Alright.. so here we go a blogging….Weee!